Air conditioning apparatus



May 4, 1.937. E. s. LEA

` AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 4, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ifa? :NVENTOR ATTORNEYS rr I BY Wg Mawndeg May 4, 1937. E. s. LEAv 2,079,574

AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 4, 1934 3 sheets-sheet 2 f TF' ATTORNEYS lNvEN'roR L'dzz/afddew BY I MM/3W lMay 4, 1937.

E. S. LEA AIRCONDITIONING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 4, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 lNvENToR Edww/'w'ea ATTORNEYS Patented May 4,- 1937 UNITED STATES AIR CONDITIONING APPARATUS Edward S. Lea, Morrisville, Pa., assigner, by mesnje" assignments, to George Von Seebeck, New York,

N. Y., trustee Application December 4, 1934, serial No. 755,916

I1 Claims.

My present invention while capable of embodiment in large size installations is more particui larly concerned with the provision of a relatively small compact unit for conditioning air in homes, o stores, omces and other relatively restricted enclosures.

An object of the invention is to provide a unit of this character which is a real air conditioner operable in all seasons of the year to filter, wash, deodorize and regulate the temperature and humidity of the air which passes through it while removing all smoke, dust or other foreign particles. f 1 Another object is to provide a compact air conditioning unit of simple, practical, rugged, durable construction consisting of but few parts, silent in operation and convenient to install, easy of access for purposes of cleaning, inspection or repair,A requiring but a slight amount of power to operate it and for the most part recirculating the water used to effect thorough washing and proper humidiflcation of` the air which passes` water cooling and the continuous delivery of the Y minute quantity of water within the fan and the 35 coldest water in the tank tothe sprays.

Another object of the invention is to ,provide an apparatus for air washing and humidification, in which the air is iirst subjected to an extremely heavy forceful spray and subsequently subjected v40 to an extremely fine mist, thorough washing and temperature regulation being effected by the heavy spray, and thorough humidication by the mist.

Another object is to provide an extremely simple apparatus for carrying out the method in whicha single motor directly drives one or more rotary water distributors or slingers for creating the heavy washing spray and at the lsame time drives a fan which serves the four-fold purpose of drawing the air through the heavy sprays, creating the mist, breaking up relatively large drops of 'water which may enter tl'e mist zone with the previously washed air stream, and supplying the force necessary to expel the air stream through a convqlute outlet passage of substantial length but` from which the airl emerges at 100% humidity and at a temperature predetermined primarily by the temperature ofthe spray water. The convolute outlet passageway removes 60 excess moisture and eliminates remaining solids (C1. zel- 91) just as effectively as the zig-zag scrubbers now' commonly employed, yet opposes far less resistance to the flow of air.

A feature ofthe invention is the entrapping of some of the water removerl in the convolute exit passageway so that the air in traveling the length of this passageway always has evaporative cool- Aing contact with a sheet of Water in the bttom of the passageway. In fact all surfaces contacted by the air from the time it enters the unit until it has reached a point close to the outlet of the convolute passageways, are kept constantly wet by sprays or mist.

A compact construction is aiorded by the provision of an open bottom casing, the top of which `forms part of the convolute outlet passageway.

A motor resting on the top of this casing has a pendant shaft driving a fan arranged at the inlet or center of the convolute passageway and below this fan the shaft carries the slingers which lift Water from a tank, the latter preferably being removably suspended from the upper casing. A screen encircling the slingers and suspended from the open-bottomed upper casing breaks up the heavy forceful spray from the slingers and the spray substantiallyflls the space between the bottom of the volute outlet and the surface of the Water in the tank, air being drawn in through an inlet opening in the lower portion of the upper casing and all of it being caused to ow countercurrently through the spray thrown outwardly by the slingers and thence through the fan.

Preferably a secondary slinger delivers but a water from this slinger is drawn into the fan blades and atomized by its impact with them so that an extremely effectivehumidifying mist zone is created in the region of the fan.

Where cooling coils are used, they are preferably suspended in the tank from the open-bottomed casing and are accessible for ready inspection or cleansing by simply lowering the tank and exposing the coils.

Preferably also the tank has a central well from which water is centrifugally lifted by the slingers, means being provided for maintaining the water in this well substantially quiescent and avoiding a whirl-pool effect. The whirling spray delivered by the slingers further serves to set the body of water encircling this well in motion and by arranging the cooling coils so that they completely encircle the well, the water in the tank working downwardly to the`- lower inlet in the well, will have a continuous rotary motion imparted thereto, whereby itmoves substantially in a spiral descending path and is most effectively cooled by other minute openings capable of being clogged by sediment in the water, and so to mount the motor that it cannot be wetted and short circulted.

With the above noted and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of the construction and combinations and arrangement of 'parts which will be more fully understood from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:-

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through an air conditioning unit embodying the invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view therethrough on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail showing the manner in which the slingers are mounted on the motor shaft and connected to each other,

Fig. 4 is a further enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional detail on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through the well, on the line 5-5 of Fig. l,

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail of the motor mount,v

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail showing the manner in which the casing is supported and cushioned,

Fig. 8 is aperspective view of the apparatus with part of the tank broken away to expose the cooling coil, and

Fig. 9 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 but illustrating a modification.

General construction Fig. 1 shows the general assemblage consisting of an inverted open-bottomed box-like casing member A, the lower end of which is closed by a water tank B, An air inletconduit C enters one side of the casing A, a suitable filter D being provided at the mouth of the air inlet. 'Ihe air outlet E is at the terminal end of a horizontal spiral conduit F disposed in the upper end of the casing A.

An electric motor G resting on the top of the casingA includes a pendant drive shaft H, this shaft mounting a fan J which -is disposed at the center of the volute air outlet passageway F.l The shaft also carries one or more water distributors K at its lower end, these distributors or slingers being operable to raise water from the tank and sling it radially outwardly through a tered air entering through the inlet du'ct C is subjected first to the heavy spray which 'passes'V through the screen L and then as it is drawn upwardly into the fan, is subjected to the fine mist in the region of the fan and then forced by the fan through the volute outlet passageway F in which the direction of ow of the air is continuously changed and all of the excess moisture is centrifugally eliminated.

The 'casing Referring now with more particularity to the casing A, the top of this casing l,constitutes the l top wall of the horizontally disposed volute passageway through which the air is blown by the fan J to the outlet E. The bottom wall of the volute passageway F provides a downwardly fac-` ing frustoeconical mouth portion III for directing the up-flowing air which is passed through the heavy sprays, into the open-bottomed, closedtopped fan J, the latter .being preferably of thev sirocco type. The screen L which breaks up the heavy spray from the lower slingers K is preferably supported from the casing A as by supporting arms or brackets I I secured to the bottom forming plate of the spiral passageway F.

For reasons to be more fully hereinafter described it is desirable to maintain the bottom of the passageway F covered with water to a level predetermined by an overflow pipe I2 the lower endof which terminates below the water level in the tank B.

The inlet conduit C preferably extends the full width of one side of the casing, the latter being4 herein illustrated as rectangular and the inlet end of the conduit C extends upwardly above the casing top and is rectangular in cross section as indicated -at I3 providing means for removably f mounting a filter unit such as D. 'I'his unit may be slid through an opening (not shown) in one side of the duct portion I3 and slid into place between guide rails I4, to the end that the filter units may be readily withdrawn and renewed.

as desired.

The ltaule Preferably the tank B is of the same cross sectional shape as the casing A but of slightly greater cross sectional area, whereby the lower end of the box-like casing A may be immersed in the water in the tank. The inlet pipe I5 through which water is delivered to the tank is. preferably mounted in the casing A.

If itis desired to cool the water in the tank B, cooling coils I6 are preferably suspendedv directly from the casing A as by suspension rods I'I and the inlet and-outlet headers I8 and I9- for the refrigerant coils I6 communicate with inlet and outlet pipes I9 and 20 which also extend upwardly through the top of the casing A and terminate above it. A

The casing and tank are so assembled that the tank may be lowered to expose the cooling coils IIS andrender them readily accessible for purposes of cleaning. Such ready removal of the tank will also permit convenient removal from the tank of sediment which may have settled therein. As suggested in my Reissue Patent No. 20,341 the casing A may be suspended from the ceiling, typicallya basement ceiling and the tank removably supported by the casing itself.

Fig. 8 shows another convenient method of removably supporting the casing and the tank in cooperative relationship so that the tank may be lowered when required. 'I'his includes a housing and support unit for the tankA and casing, the unit being of square horizontal cross section, open at its top and at its front. The side walls 22 of this unit, as well as the rear wall thereof, (not shown) are securedat their edges to rectangular 1 frame structures l23, these frame structures including angle irons or other suitable ledge forming means 24 at theirtops, adapted to support the casing. ,The casing for this purpose is provided with laterally extending brackets 25 (Fig. 7) having sockets 26 fn their under faces receiving rubber feet or blocks 21 which rest upon the ledge forming members 24. Pendant latch members 28 carried by the outer wall of the casing engage hooks 29 on the outer walls of the tank so that the tank is suspended from the casing.

Rising from the bottom of the tank B is a .well-forming member 30 of suicient height to extendl above the water level in the tank.` Water fiows into the b'ttom of this well, through a pivoted valve plate 3|, the valve being opened by a' push rod 32 extending through the casing A. A spring 33 normally tends to elevate this rod and the rod is depressed to open the pivoted valve by a control lever 34 actuated from any suitable means as for instance a thermostatic bellows (not shown). The lower ezids of the nested slingers K are immersed in the water of the well 30 and to prevent a whirlpool effect, baflies 35 may extend inwardly from the walls of the well.

Motor, fan and slingers The casing of the motor G is provided with a relatively wide annular flange 36 and the motor rests by gravity upon the casing A, being suitably cushioned to prevent vibration or slippage of the motor.- For this purpose an annular rubber gasket 31 (Fig. 6) ts within a circular collar 38 rising from the top of the casing. The gasket includes an inwardly extending flange portion 31a having a sharply corrugated uppersurface indi-- cated at 31h and the flange 36 ofj the motor cas-J ing G rests upon the corrugated gasket surface compressing the corrugations to the desired extent so that snug seating occurs, this annular flange 36 fitting snugly within the thicker outer portion 31 of the gasket.

The purpose of corrugations is merely to render that portion of the rubber gasket upon which the motor seats more 'readily compressible and distortable to insure tight seating of the flange 36 thereon. The' fan H is securedupon a hub 48, the hub in turn being affixed to the pendant motor shaft H. An opening 4I in the top of the casing A of slightly greater internal diameter than the maximum external diameter ofthe fan permits the fan to be attached to the motor shaft and then to be lowered in place through the cas-` ing top as thevmotor G is lowered o'nto its seat.

Various expedients may be resorted to for securing the distributors or slingers to Vthe motor shaft and in Figs. 3 and 4 I have illustrated one satisfactory method of mounting a plurality of nested slingers concentrically with respect to the shaft. Each of the lower slingers K include sa generally conical shell 45, the 'mouth of which flares outwardly in a substantially horizontal plane as indicated at 46.. Radially disposed ribs slingers when the latter are rotated; The lower I 41 mounted on the edges of the horizontal portions of the shells serve to add impetus to the water which is flung circumferentially by the reduced end of each shell 45 carries an internal hub 45a in the nature of a spider, the hub of each slinger fitting over the shellfportion of the next adjacent slinger and all of the hubsbeing connected together and secured to the shaft H by elongated set screws 86 passed through register- 7 screws freely pass.

I n Fig. 3 I have illustrated three of the generally conical slingers K nested one with the other, with the edges of all of the slingers terminating in the same vertical plane and with the horizontal portions of the slingers closely overe lying each other. Preferably a. baille plate is arranged immediately above the innermost and uppermost of these slingers K to prevent the water from being thrown in an upward direction.

No baies are required for the lower slingers since slinger.

the slingers above them serve effectively as bafiles.

The innermost slinger M is of generally tubular formation throughout the greater portion of its length, tapering inwardly near its bottom and tapering only slightly outwardly at its top-as indicated at 5I. The baille 50 may be provided with a collar 52 welded to the tubular slinger M; Prefextremely accurate spinning of the conical shells y K are not necessary1 since the openings 81 compensate for slight machining or spinning inaccuracies and tightening of the tie rods 54 pulls the shells into snugly nested relationship regardless of whether the openings 81 a-re in direct alignment or not.

As the nested-hubs of the conical shells, slingers or distributors K rotate in the water in the well 30, the water is drawn upwardly along the inner wall of each slinger and is flung centrifugally from the mouths of these slingers with considerable violence, driving through the screen L which breaks up this heavy forceful spray to some extent and causes the spray to be projected fanwise into the space between the screen and the side walls of the casing.' The space between the water level and the' bottom of the spiral chamber is substantially lled with the heavy spray which has passed through the screen, it being borne in mind that the water which passes through this screen is simultaneously acted upon' bythree different forces. First the centrifugal force which has projected it through the screen; secondly, the force of gravity; and thirdly, by the -up-draft of the fan. The result of these forces is to substantially fill the entirespace between the bottom of spiral chamber F and the water level and outwardly beyond the fan with a very heavy spray paratus through the duct C.

The water travels rather slowly up the disr tributor M however, and since this distributor is traveling at much lower peripheral speed than the slingers K, a relatively thin sheet of water is projected radially from the rnouth of the This less forceful spray is drawn practically in a horizontal direction by the -fan suction into contact with the fan blades and since the fan is -travelin'g ata substantial peripheral Vwhich washes andrcools the air entering the apv I speed, the radial spray from the mouth of the slinger M is broken up into a ne mist by impact with the fan blades. Part of this mist is driven back into the fan and part of it is blown beyond Athe fan into the spiral passageway and part of it tends to settle downwardly and commingle with the thoroughly washed air stream which has' passed through the heavy spray and is moving upwardly into the fan, carrying with it some drops of `Water of relatively large size. drops upon striking the fan are nely subdivided and converted into mist.

'I'hese The whirling spray afforded by the lower slingers K tends to impart awh'irling or rotary motion to the body of Water in the'tank B. This is particularly advantageous for purposes of cooling water, especially in conjunction with the arrangement of a water entrance at the lower end only of thewell. Ordinarily the Water in the well will be at such a temperature that convection circulation thereof over the cooling coils will be negligible but by drawing water always from the bottom of the tank intothe Well and by rotating the body of Water in the tank, the water at the top of the tank will move gradually toward the bottom of the tank and during this movement will be progressively swirling over the series of cooling coils so that heat interchange between the Water and the coils is promoted. This swirling motion of the water also aids in keeping the coils clean.

Windows 60 arranged in the casing A and registering with openings in the outer shell 22 permit the operation of the device to be continuously inspected at all times and the speed of the motor for instance accordingly adjusted. Preferably the pivoted valve 3| is merely a rough casting which does not seat snugly so that a certain amount of water is always leaking into the well 30 and some slight amount of water is being distributed by the slingers even when the valve is in its closed position.

It will be observed by reference to Fig. 2 that the convolute chamber through which airis adhumidifled air carrying no excess entraincd moisture.

By using an overflow inlet such as I2, the bottom of the spiral or convolute outlet passageway is always covered with water andv additional evaporative cooling is obtained. In factfrom the time the air approaches the lower end of the conduit Cuntil the time it ls half way through the convolute outlet passageway, everyssurface which it contacts is a wet surface so that the maximum evaporative cooling in addition to direct cooling by the sprays is obtained. The air drawn into the duct C tends to advance around all sides of the screen K and to be drawn in a -vortex into the fan after having countercurrent through the spray thrownoutwardly by thev lower slingers K. No airis permitted to by-pass these sprays and since the entire region of the fan is practically lled with a fine mist, thorough humidlflcation ofthe air' ls assured. The excess moisture removed by centrifugal force from the air` which has ad- Iva'nced through the convolute passageway, drains down the'walls of this chamber and the excess flows through the pipe I2, 'the overflow being silent due to the immersion of the lower end of the pipe in the .Water'tank.

' The compactness of the unit will be apparent from the 'foregoing description. Practically every available cubic foot of space is utilized.

The convolute passageway while ofV substantial length is conned within a relatively small volumetric space. The space between the bottom of this convolute discharge passageway. and the wa- `ter level in the tank is but slight arid it is entirely filled with heavy spray.- The center of the passageway F is occupied by the fan. The slingers K are disposed at but a slight distance below the fan and the vertical space occupied by the entire unit is-reduced to a minimum. When no refrigerant coils are in use, the tank may of course be very much shallower to further conserve vertical space and the height of the entire unit need not be more than a couple of feet. 'A great economy of materials as well as space is thus afforded. 'I'he water in the tank is preferably recirculated over and over again, this being particularly advantageous in the Winter time when no cooling is vdesired since the water will quickly assume the temperature of the air and the device will simply act as a humidier and not as a cooler. No specialcontrol for maintaining a con- -stant water level or a slow inflow and outow from the tank has been .shown but means may be obviously utilized if desired'.

I have not shown any ducts connected either to the inlet or outlet of the machine but for the part of the house in winter, it merely being necessary to change the duct connections from the inlet to the outlet connections of the machine to reverse them for winter and summer use.

Obviously the cooling coil may be supplied -from any source of refrigerant but an ordinaryv household ice box unit is adequate for effecting I'.

the refrigeration desired. In localities where relatively cool reservoir water is available and where water is cheap, the refrigerating unit may be dispensed with even in the summertime. Insofar as the control ofthe mechanism is concerned, any of various standard controls may be used. For the simplest form of operation I simply use a humidistat orthermostat to cut the motor in and out. With the type of installation shown, thermostatically or humidistati'cally controlled means are operative to close or open the valve which admits water to the well and the motor runs continuously so that circulation of air is always maintained. In this connection it is Worthy of note that the inlet end of slinger M terminates below the lower ends of slingers K. By allowing a slow leak through valve a certain amount of water will always flow from slinger M to effect creation of a mist in the region of the fan and to humldify all air passing through the spray even when there is no water available for the spray creating slingers K. Where it is desirable to maintain a continuous washing action of the air Without substantial humidifcation thereof, it .will of course be apparent that the inletv end of the slinger M may terminate above the lower ends of the `slingers K. The principlev involved is permitting one slinger to rob the other of water when the valve is closed. More complex controls might of course be utilized .if desired, it being perfectly apparent that by the simple procedure of regulating the temperature of the refrlgerantor other temperature changing medium utilized, both the temperature and humidity of the air within an enclosure could be accurately controlled within narrow limitations. Heaters at the inlet or outlet lof the machine might be employed, if

desired', in the winter time but their use is conventional and they have not been illustrated. The present machine'is primarily designed to insure a uniform humidity for any givenair temperature, maintaining the humidity comfortably high in the winter time and comfortably low in the summer time. VIn fact where a rela- (iii tively small capacity refrigeratlng machine is utilized, most of the energy developed in the refrigerating machine will be used in extremelyhot weather for absorbing latent heat from the hot air which enters the machine and even though the unit exerts no appreciable cooling effect on extremely hot days, it will have a very marked effect on humidity. In other words, the unit is primarily designed to 'provide a compact, inexpensive apparatus requiring but slight power to operate and serving the very practical purpose of keeping the air -within a house or other enclosure comfortable and clean and-in motion. The maintenance of a sufficiently high hu'- midity in winter and of suciently low humidity in summer are factors being of considerably more importance than variation lof temperature within a few degreesone way or the other.A

The use of a plurality of nested slingers forhandled and the particular screen arrangement.

I herein utilized is also subject to many changes within theA scope of the invention.

In Fig. 9 I have illustrated a slight 'modification in which the tank B has been replaced by a much shallower .tank B. may be 'used in the winter time or wherever no refrigeration of the water is required. The well and its inlet valve are omittedl and a pair of L-'shaped brackets 90 are secured to the tank bottom, the upstanding legs of these brackets being arranged close to the slingers and vserving to suiciently 4baille the iiow of water in the region of the slingers to prevent a Vwhirlpool or cavitation eiect. I have likewise shown the screen L as supplemented by a second screen L', the latter screen being pendant from the bottom plate of the convolute casing F and being disposed concentrically with but at a substantial radial distance from the screen L. The screen L' preferably has its lower end immersed in the water in the tank so that the waterwhich drains down it will flow silently into the tank. By virtue of this arrangement the water, after passing through the screen L will strike the-screen A L'; some of it will splash back toward the center of the tank and much of it will pass through the screen L and 'be projected in va further subdivided spray into the path of the iniiowing air. The particular mesh of the screens utilized and their distance from the peripheral edges of the slingers are all factors which determine the nature of the washing and cooling spray. I may 55 omit the central screen altogether, in which case sol much less noise is created by the water striking the outer screen, the latter inthis case being of relatively fine mesh, particularly at the point where the heaviest part' of the spray strikes it.

InFig. 9 it will also be observed that I have used a single slinger K in conjunction with the slinger M and the arrangement of tank, screens andsllngers illustrated in Fig. 9 is of course considerably less expensive than that previously described. Small'units of the character shown in Fig. 9'are particularly effective where cold water is available in the city nains, or for the purpose of maintaining the proper humidity of air in winter time. Where these units are use d for cooling, of course a substantially continuous flow of water should be maintained in the tanks but where'they are used for merely humidifying purposes, the Water is constantly rcirculated and will ultimately reach a temperature ap- This type of tank l proximating that of the air passing through the machine. e It.will thus be seen that there -is herein d ev and which method and apparatus in their action attain the various objects of the invention and are well suited to meet `the requirements of practical use.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different -embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shownl in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thu's described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure byV Letters Patent is:-- n

1. An air conditioning apparatus including an open-bottomed casing, a water receiving tank constituting a displaceable bottom for said casing, said casing having an air inlet and an air outlet therein, fan means within the casing for inducing `flow of air from the inlet to the outlet,

ppenv-bottomed casing, a water receiving tank constituting a displaceable bottom for said casing, said casing having an air inlet and an air` outlet therein, fan means'within the casing for inducing ow of air from the inlet to the outlet, air spraying means in the casing drawing water from the tank, coils in the' tank for regulating the temperature of the water, means suspending said coils from the casing, means to permit downward displacement of said tank with respect to the casing to expose the coils, inlet and outlet conduits for temperature changing uid connected to the coils and extending through the casing.

3. An air conditioning unit of the class described including a housing, the lower end of which constitutes a water tank, a motor disposed above the housing and a motor shaft extending downwardly into the housing, a fan carried b'y the motor shaft near the upper end of the housing and a volute air outlet passage encircling fan and into which air is discharged by the fan, a centrifugal rotary water elevator and slinger carried by the lower end'of the shaft having its lower end immersed in the water of the tank and discharging below the level of the volute, and means for directing a water spray linto the` fan to be broken up thereby and createa fine humidifying mist at the inner portion of the volute, an air inlet in the housing arranged so that the air therefrom is drawn through theA spray from the slinger by the fan. g

4. An air conditioning unit of the class described including4 a housing, the lower end of which constitutes a water tank, a motor disposed above the housing and a motor shaft extending downwardly into the housing, a fan carried by the motor shaft near the upper end of the housing and a volute air outlet passage into which air is discharged' by the fan, a centrifugal rotary water elevator and slinger carried by the lower end of the shaft having its lower end immersed in the water of the tank, an air inlet in the housing arranged so that the air therefrom is drawn. through the spray from the slinger by the fan,

I a second slinger of greater heighth and less maximum Vdiameter' than the iirst slinger for delivering a spray of water within the fan to be broken up into a mist by contact with the fan blades, a well in the tank, a valve controlling flow of water into the lower end of the well and adapted to permit even in closed position aslight leakage of water into the well, saidslingers drawing water from the well, one slinger extending below the other slinger whereby upon slow leakage of water into the well substantially only said longer slinger will draw water from the well. v 5. Ina unit of the class described, a housin a water tank constituting the bottom of the housing and an open-bottomed casing constituting the top of the housing, a horizontally disposed, doubly convolute air outlet passageway inthe top of the housing, a motor supported upon the top of the housing, a motor shaft extending downwardly andv inwardly intovthe housing, a fan fixed on the motor shaft at the center of the volute passage-- way, an air inlet at one side of the housing above the water level and below the volute passageway, a centrifugal water slinger carried by the yshaft and discharging in the space between the water level andthe bottom plateof the volute passageof the housing, a motor shaft extendingfdownwardly and inwardly into the housing, a fan fixed on the motor shaftat the center of the volute passageway, an air inlet at one side of the housing above the-water level and below the volute passageway, a centrifugal waterY slinger carried.

by the shaft and discharging in the space between the water level and the bottom plate of the volute passageway and a screen encircling the periphery ofthe slinger for breaking up the spray.

7. In a unit of the class described, a housing,

a water tank constituting the bottom of the housing and an open-bottomed casing constituting t 4rthe top of the housing, a horizontally disposed,

doubly convolute air outlet passageway in the top of the housing, a motor supported upon the top of the housing, a motorI shaft extending downwardly and inwardly into the housing, a fan xed on the motor shaft at the `center of the volute passageway, an air inlet at one side of the housing above the water level and below the volute passageway, a centrifugal water slinger carried by the shaft and discharging in the 'space between the water level and the bottom plate of the volute passageway and a screen encircling the periphery of the slinger for breaking up the spray, means for supporting said screen from the -ering a relativelyheavy high velocity spray.

in the top of the housing, a-motor supported upon the top of the housing,.a motor shaft extending downwardly and inwardly intothe housing, a fan fixed on the motor shaft at the center end disposed within the fan.

9. In a unit of the class'described, a housing, a water tank constituting the bottom of the housing and an open-bottomed casing constituting the top of the housing, a horizontally disposed, doubly convolute air outlet passageway in the top of the housing, a motor supported upon the' top' of the housing, a motor shaft extending downwardly and inwardly into the housing, a-

fan xed on the motorl shaft at the center of the 4 volute passageway, an air inlet at one side of the housing above the water level and below the volute passageway, a centrifugal water slinger carried by the Vshaft and discharging in the space between the water level and the bottom plate of the volute passageway and a baille means coacting with the upper surface of said slinger to direct the spray from said slinger substantially radiallyoutwardly, a second slinger fixed to the motor shaft, traveling at less peripheral speed than the rst slinger and having its discharge end disposed within the fan, said bailie meansv Vbeing carried by said second mentioned slinger.

1,0. Ina unit of the class described, a housing, a water tank constituting the bottom of the housing and an open-bottomed casing constituting,

the top of the housing, a horizontally disposed, doubly convolute air outlet passageway in the top of the housing, amotor supported upon the top of the housing,'a motor shaft extending downwardly and inwardly into the housing, a

fan fixed on the motor s haft at the center of the volute passageway, an air inlet :at one side of the housing/ above the water level and below the volute passageway, a centrifugal waterA slinger carried by the shaft and discharging in the space between the water level and the bottom plate of f the volute passageway, a second water slinger carried by the shaft and discharging into the fan.

11. An air conditioning unit of the class described including a casing, a tankat the bottom thereof, a motor disposed above the housing and a motor' shaft extending downwardly into the housing, a fan carried by the motor shaft near the upper end of the housing and a volute air outlet passage into which air is discharged by the fan, a rotary water distributor carried by the lower endofthe shaft having its lower end immersed in the water of the tank, an air vinlet in the housing arranged so that thel air therefrom is drawn through the spray from the distributor by the fan, a second distributor carried by the shaft for delivering a sprayI of water within the fan to be broken-up into a-mist by contact with the fan bladessaid second mentionedv distributor delivering a relatively light low velocity spray and said'rst mentioned distributor deliv-I EDWARD s.V LEA. l 

